What a customer should understand ..

Edit Sorry I thought you were just being a troll , please continue

Well, I know the delivery people expect "free access" to where ever the new machine is being delivered to and a clear path to the, complete with disconnection (if possible) old machine.

And, the Customer delivery and installation appointment should NOT be a discovery time for "gas or electric" service.

And, accessories, like flex hose and power cords will be a lot less expensive when purchased through the store.

If the machine requires special power to be wired, an Electrician should be scheduled BEFORE installation.

Wow this thread might be the first USEFUL thread on this forum, Congratulations Mr. Smith .

Keep the posts coming :)

Custs should understand that any one on a commission most likely has alterior motives, if it sounds too good to be true, confirm with his manager before you make a decision.

there have be alot of usefull posts on here. of course alot of them had trolls come in and screw it all up so its hard to pick them out

Confirm with the manager?

Who do you think stands to 1. Make the most of the sale of the Protection Agreement(s), Credit and so on... and 2. Routinely pushes employees to sell them to begin with, some with threat merely keeping the employee to begin with.

SearsPro said…

Custs should understand that any one on a commission most likely has alterior motives, if it sounds too good to be true, confirm with his manager before you make a decision.

---

All information about products and services is available for free at all times. Protection agreement contracts are always available at every register. Product information is on sears.com and/or manufacturer websites, on the brag cards on each display, and in merchandise list books that every department has. Service information is available in protection agreement flipbooks and installation binders (which are at each register for installed merchandise). Assuming the salesperson is out to swindle you will only result in not believing anything they say, and at that point there's no point in ever dealing with salespeople. From there, it's a matter of doing all your own research, rather than taking advantage of the knowledge that people who research this stuff for a living already have. Seems a bit of false economy to me.

Very helpful.  What's a troll in this context?

You will find that my conversations are sincere.  For example, I posted in Automotive and Tires about a great experience I have had when I recently purchased 4 tires in a combination of chat and phone.

As to the delivery points.  They are excellent.  It is very useful to not only understand the need for free access, but to help the sales or delivery function understand what they are dealing with.

My take away from this is to use my camera phone to take a pic of any access issues in the future so that Delivery could be prepared.

In terms of commissions, I think the public is used to the notion of commissions and only hopes that sales doesn't simply "work" the system and sell only what serves the rep or the company.

For example, on the tires issue, I shopped the costs with my dealer and a couple of places.  What really made the difference was that the person I talked with from Sears asked about my planned use for the tires and how long I intended to keep the car (it is a 1999 vehicle so I didn't need a 100,000 mile tire).  I feel like I got the right tire, it wasn't excpetionally on sale.

I later learned that I needed to know more about the installation and alignment costs, but I would be facing that issue regardless.  So I knew what to select, I knew why I should select it and I didn't have to second-guess my decision criteria.

That was a great transaction.  It served my interests and it served the company interests.  Since it is possible for one transaction, it is possible for all. It may not be practical, but it is a useful goal.

The issue of Protection agreements is like the issue of "rebates" with me.  I never quite know what to do with them. Too many reports of Protection Agreements being a "sucker sale" against having the agreement actually be valuable like on a TV or major appliance (including computers).  As a customer I just want my seller to help me and not hustle me.

I also know that I want the most for the least --- unless I can get my buying criteria perfectly met. Then I care much less about price.  I think this is generally true for a lot of people but I am only one voice.

So what else should I as a customer understand in order to have the best chance of having a great transaction?

In our "Thank You" blue folders, which are distributed with every sale, there are two pieces of paperwork, including the receipt.

One is in regard to the MPA, the other is a delivery guidelines sheet.

That sheet lists everything delivery will, and will not do.  We do our best to remember and explain it all, and we enclose the guidelines to be read by the consumer, in case we didn't have enough caffeine that morning.

If there is any rebate paperwork, we print it from the rebate website, and enclose it in the "Thank You" folder as well.

searspro is a troll i wouldnt worry about anthing he has to say

To BluecrewguyinMA -- Very interesting points.

The issue you raise is trust.  and it is a big one. I will include an additional post around trust because it seems to me to be the crux of a lot of things here.

Trust is what is lacking in a lot of areas.  I have mentioned in other posts that

Trust is harder to get and easier to lose than love.

It is an amazing thing and I have learned to treat Trust like a bank account. It contains deposits and withdrawls. The deposit is making a promise and keeping it (no matter how large or small).  Things like "I will call you at 10am and you call on time.

Withdrawls are promises made taht are not kept.  For example I will meet you at 11:15am and you show up at 11:16am.  The time isn't a big deal, but the promise broken says that the person making the promise doesn't "respect" the person that the rpomise was made to, enough to be on time.  We may not say anything but we as people notice.  Not simply customers, just people.

I have an implied trust here.  I am saying that with my posts I can be trusted to be sincere (not a troll).  I trust that what you all are writing is sincere as well.  Not something to simply jerk my chain.  So I have been spending increasing time learning about Sears and Kmart as my preferred place to shop versus my normal price orientation.

There are a lot of stories about why this was necessary at all, but the point is that I am looking at a possible ongoing relationship with you all as sellers.

It is not one-sided.  I am learning from you like crazy because the nature of my work doesn't often let me be a customer. And so in these conversations, I am purely a customer and it is very worthwhile.

I appreciate all of you who take the time to consider this thinking and then respond with what is true for you.

What I like about KMart is they always understand me as a customer. Same with Sears. They have a nostalgic value of taking care of their customers, helping customers decide on the best product they can afford, i.e. suggestive selling, upgrades, and service contracts. It is my favorite company.

OK Worldweary2 the Thank You folder is another place for me to emphasize.

I confess, by the time I get the paperwork, I am done in my brain.  So I don't really pay attention the the thank you folder.  I figure it is just peripherally a promotion piece.  So I need to pay more attention to that folder so that the remianing steps in my delivery or installation are clear and sequenced.

That is helpful.

What else should I know as a Customer?

If there's a problem with your product, don't be offended when people ask troubleshooting questions. They're not trying to blame you for the problem, but they have to rule user error out before assuming the product is defective. If they didn't, and assumed it was the product every time, they'd be replacing products for no reason and the problem would keep happening because the cause of the problem was never addressed.

The user manual is not padding for the product in the package. It has actual useful information, such as how to use the product, how to troubleshoot if something goes wrong, and whom to call or what to do if troubleshooting doesn't help.

Yelling is NOT going to solve your problem faster. In fact, it will likely take longer to fix if you're yelling. Additionally, nobody feels much like helping someone who's yelling at them. When's the last time you helped someone who asked for your help by angrily yelling at you?

We're people. We're paid to help you. We're not paid to be abused, insulted, threatened, mocked, or otherwise treated in a disrespectful manner. Think of it this way: if you wouldn't talk to your mother/father the way you're talking to me, you shouldn't be talking that way in the first place (if you hate your parents, substitute someone you like and respect).

There are some things that cannot be controlled. We can't control the weather. We can't control the delivery system. We can't control company policies. We can't control the sales. We can't haggle (seriously, no haggling...I don't mean price matching or sale adjustments, I mean trying to lower a price just because you want a lower price). We can't force a technician to go to your house today just because that's what you want. Just like you have someone you answer to, and have restrictions on what can and can't be done at your job, it's the same here.

We are not out to get you. Our job is to help you find something that is suitable for your wants, your needs, and your budget. When we do that, you're far more likely to come back and buy something else from us. If we try to get the quick sale with no regard for you as a person and your needs, you're very unlikely to come back and buy something else from us. It's in our best interest to pair you up with the product(s) you'd find most suitable. Anything less is bad business and will result in dollars today and none tomorrow.

Appliances are not guaranteed forever. They have a 1 year defect-only warranty. That is ALL it covers.

Power tools are not guaranteed forever. I know it says Craftsman on it. It's 1 year full replacement (non-Craftsman is 90 days through the store, 1 year total between store and manufacturer). Yes, you need your receipt.

Craftsman hand tools are almost universally guaranteed forever. There are a few items here and there that aren't. The main stand-outs are:

• Torque wrenches that have MicroTork or other similar technologies in the handle
• Bits and blades
• Clamping tools (C-clamps, spring clamps, vises, etc.)
• Auto jacks

Bits and blades are consumables, and have no warranty. The other items (except C-clamps) have a 1 year warranty, and you must have your receipt.

Car battery warranties also require your receipt.

Any warranty that is limited by time requires a receipt from original purchase, to show when the warranty period started. No, we can't just take your word for it. Otherwise, we'd be replacing car batteries, $200 torque wrenches, and $200 auto jacks forever, and the company would never turn a profit. No amount of pleading will change this fact, and if we do it for you, we will have to do it for everyone.

Now we are cooking.  These are great points.

I like the humor of the Manual is not packaging support.  Manuals have always been a pain to me.  I found that computer makers like HP addressed this with an Open Me First or Read Me first poster layout of 6 - 9 graphic steps to get things going.  Very useful.  This may not work universally, but the Reading the Manual thing is a challenge.  A lot of guys don't like to ask for directions when they drive.  So the manual issue is not a surprise.

As to ettiquite and good manners. That is a hard one.  As much as I hate to acknowledge it there are people out in the world who are a variety of things.  Some are uneducated, some are mean-spirited, some are just angry, some are inconsiderate, some are calculating, some are dishonest, some are takers.  It would be great if everyone wore a sign that reflected what is operating at the surface or at the core and then we woulde all know what to expect.  But that just isn't going to happen.

Perhaps I will do another topic on what customers expect.  I mean what they are really counting on you for.  Perhaps some customers will chime in on that.

Frustration is frustrating and stupidity is often unpreventable.  Speaking as a customer, I really only lose it when my most basic expectations are violated and I try to do that in an effective and tasteful way.  But I have seen examples of what you reference and it always amazes me that fiarly nice people can do some very unkind things.

As to the warranty.  I generally don't have confidence in them in the first place.  I think of them as catastrophic policies and only count on them as a last resort.  That is part of why Brand is important at times.  The big problem in appliance warranty is that the make promotes the idea of years of quality use but will only guarantee for a year. If I think I am buying an appliance and will get a few to several years from it, I am going to be unhappy with less.  The makers of product need to be more honest about the lifespan and use of a product.

I am not talking about the abusers (40 loads of jeans a day), I am talking about normal family use of appliances and products.  We all do dumb things now and then, but as a rule I like to think people will be fair and are simply seeking to be treated fairly.

Sometimes I think that customers wil "dump" on sales reps because it is one of the few places they can express anger and seemingly get away with it. (I am not talking about the morons who simply don't care how they affect people.)

If you will take a look at your comments about Craftsman, you will see the conflicts and easy confusion.  Craftsman tools versus power tools is a very different story.

At the end of the day, as a customer, I just want to understand what I can expect and count on you for.

There are probably enough "customer" funny stories to fill any party, any time of year.  Equally, there are sales rep stories.  Not everyone cares about helping at the same level.  Frustration will definately surface in the face of apathy.

As people, what I have observed is that we want to be paid "retail" for our work and we want to buy our goods at wholesale.  No wonder things get screwy.

OK, what else should we customers understand in order to have the best chance for a good transaction?

I can't believe that this is all that anyone can offer.  I really want to undersatnd everything possible from your point of view so taht I can have the best chance of a great experience on a consistent basis.

Thanks

I think this topic is amongst the VERY best I've ever seen on www.mysears.com, its a very legitimate question from a customer...

I reciept issue is there... not simply because of automation or our inability to deal with technology.... (despite what our registers look like) Its because the level of data that we would need for COMPLETE storage of every single transaction every processed... (minus Cash transactions) is unrealistic. I'm a computer Science Major and its something I've thought about ... then realized why.

BlueCrewGuyInMA said…

From there, it's a matter of doing all your own research, rather than taking advantage of the knowledge that people who research this stuff for a living already have. Seems a bit of false economy to me.

---

I would not take the word of someone working at a retail chain (I wouldn't call most staff at retail stores "people who research this stuff for a living"; most are fairly standard sales clerks - nice people, can be great to talk to, but not experts on the product side) over published reports (you said to do your own research...) at Consumer Reports and other trusted sources.  

I've been to my local retail chains for purchases (from time to time; usually I stick with Amazon, Newegg, etc.) and, for the most part, they're not terribly knowledgeable about the products they sell.  I glean far more from my own research than I do from them; there's no false economy there. 

I guess you'd have to define "expert." If you mean someone who knows the amount of torque put on every screw in a given product, no, they're not experts. However, Sears works very hard to make sure its sales associates (not mere cashiers) are the best trained and most knowledgeable. That doesn't mean every single one is at that level, but the amount of training and information available to sales associates is incredible when they're willing to get it and learn from it.

I do say to do your own research, but that doesn't mean that a fully informed decision can necessarily be made based on customer reviews (horribly skewed to the negative for established brands, horribly skewed to the positive for new brands) or Consumer Reports alone.

And, I pride myself on learning as much as possible, which made me successful at selling appliances, tools, electronics, etc. By doing so, I differentiate myself from the average cashier by having knowledge and skills far beyond what is necessary to simply order products. Find someone who takes pride in their work, and you'll have someone who is most likely an extremely reliable source of information.

Yep, alot of us have spent our years gaining "boots on the floor" experience.

I've done all my own repair work for many years, from my own vehicles, to oil burners, to computers, as well as home improvement.

It's a matter of self worth, and self improvement.

Plus, when you put all that knowledge to good use, it can really help alot of people.